GenNext Politicos: Should the youth take over the affairs?

Jan 1. The previous year 2009 saw a major turnaround in the Indian political scenario. The most significant event being the 15th Lok Sabha Elections which gave the Grand Old Party of India, the Congress its highest number of seats since 1989 and enabled it to return to power for the second time in succession.


But the change which the nation witnessed was the role which the youth brigade played in deciding the political course during the elections. The young leaders, especially Rahul Gandhi, the scion of India's first political family smilingly stole the show as political stalwarts like L K Advani and Mayawati watched in utter silence. The tireless effort by Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders propelled the party to 206 seats as compared to 145 in the 2004 polls. The elections saw 79 MPs under 40 from all the parties altogether making their way to the symbol of India's largest democracy.


Now, talking about the youth, the Congress was able to use the youth factor successfully as compared to other parties. Though, almost all of the young MPs of the Congress belong to various dynasties , but it cannot be ruled out that the people, of whom 75% are below 40 , now prefer young, dynamic leaders instead of old leaders accused of caste ,religion and regional politics. Young Turks like Sachin Pilot, Jitin Prasada , Jyotiraditya Scindia ,Priya Dutt and many others were not only able to re-elect themselves to the 543 MPs strong House of the People but also managed to catch the voter's attention and support.

The upcoming decade might see a number of young , dynamic leaders shaping the outlook of the country. But the major concern is that almost all of the prominent young politicians have inherited their fathers legacy. As a result, many aspiring youth feel themselves handicapped due to the absence of any political background with them. Also because of the corruption and criminalisation of politics, the youth are reluctant to join the system.

At the end, it is left to the political parties to decide whom they want to give the responsibilty of running the country after them